


Heart of Gold

by pasteldanhowells, rainbowchristy



Series: Your Crowning Glory Verse [2]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Christmas, Dan Howell Is A Drama Queen, Established Relationship, Inspired by The Princess Diaries 2, King Dan Howell, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Misunderstandings, Modern Royalty, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:42:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28312545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pasteldanhowells/pseuds/pasteldanhowells, https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowchristy/pseuds/rainbowchristy
Summary: Following the events of our previous fic, Your Crowning Glory, this is a timestamp a year later. Read as we catch up with Dan and Phil and how Dan’s life has been as king. But, nothing is perfect. When Phil starts acting strange and his name starts popping up in the headlines, Dan fears the worst: Phil’s keeping secrets from him, and trying to steal his crown again.
Relationships: Chris Kendall/PJ Liguori, Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Series: Your Crowning Glory Verse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2073546
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	Heart of Gold

**Author's Note:**

> This is a timestamp for Your Crowning Glory. You can read it on its own, but a lot of context is in the original fic.
> 
> Thank you to Simon for commenting your headcanon for our fic and inspiring us to write this! <3

“I’ll never get used to this view.” Dan smiles as he looks around the castle’s garden. It’s quiet, and the sky looks beautiful. Dan always loves nights like these, especially when Phil is with him.

“Yeah? I know of another view I’ll never get sick of seeing,” Phil replies.

“What?” Dan asks, looking over at Phil, and he rolls his eyes when he sees Phil staring at him. “Oh my God. You’re so cheesy sometimes!” He laughs, shoving Phil playfully.

“What? I have to be when my boyfriend is as beautiful as you are,” Phil grins.

Boyfriend. Dan still can’t believe that he has a boyfriend, let alone _Phil Lester_ as his boyfriend.

Really, he should be used to it by now. He had a fiancé almost a year ago. Sure, that wasn’t entirely out of free will, but it still happened.

Dan actually can’t believe a lot of things that have happened the past year since he became the King of Genovia. But, he wouldn’t change it for a thing. It takes some time getting used to being the King but he’s lucky to have such a wonderful support system like Phil, and his grandma.

His grandma helped a lot with the transition even after he was officially crowned. But Dan’s mostly independent now. Sometimes he has no clue what he’s doing but when that happens, he can just run around the castle until he finds her.

“Don’t run,” she says every time but Dan still runs. Some things just never change.

Louise returned to England not long after Dan’s coronation. She had her own life to fulfill. Though Dan still calls her multiple times a week to rant about meetings or to ask for advice. She’s said multiple times that she doesn’t mind, though. Apparently, it’s quite amusing for her since the problem’s are usually minute with simple solutions.

Pj returned to his hometown, too. Though Pj’s is a lot closer than Louise’s. They’d kept in contact, which Dan was thankful for. While their engagement may not have worked out, they still got along and had many of the same interests. When Dan gets the day off, he’ll either spend it with Pj playing video games or with Phil wreaking havoc around the castle. While he is king, he has a natural chaotic energy that cannot be ignored.

But still, Dan is the king. He still has to think about the kingdom and the people who live in it.

“So, I was thinking…”

“Oh, that’s never a good thing,” Phil says, laughing when Dan glares at him.

Dan sticks his tongue out at Phil childishly. “Be quiet,” he huffs. “I was thinking, and it’s important, okay?” He lets out a soft sigh. “I was thinking about the kids from the parade.”

Phil thinks for a moment, and then he remembers the kids Dan’s talking about. “Ah yes. I remember. What about them?”

“I always pass by it whenever we’re in town, but I never get to visit them because we’re always so busy with other things. I just can’t help but wonder about them,” Dan says.

Phil hums, nodding his head.

“It’s just so sad. All those kids, so young, with no family to take care of them? I only had one parent, but I can’t imagine having zero. _And_ no aunts or uncles or grandparents. I’m sure the matron there does a wonderful job. But no one can replace someone’s parents.”

Phil takes Dan’s hand, causing him to stop his rant. Phil smiles at him and Dan smiles right back.

“You want to go and visit them?” Phil asks curiously.

Dan doesn’t really need to think about it. “Yeah, that’d be really nice.” There’s a pause and Dan looks at the fountain that they’d fallen into so many months ago now. “But we don’t have time. Well, I don’t have time. You don’t do much other than live off my hard-earned money,” Dan says, teasing at the end.

Phil bumps into him. “You said I couldn’t have a job ‘cause I needed to be at the palace, not that I mind having lots of free time. But either way, it’s not my fault I need food to survive.”

“What, and all your expensive clothing? I’m sure they’re super necessary for survival.”

Phil just laughs. “You could find some time to visit the kids, you know? You’re busy, but not that busy.”

“I’m the king!”

“All I hear is excuses here, Daniel.”

Dan squeezes Phil’s hand and Phil squeezes back.

“We could go and read to them?” Dan thinks out loud.

Phil nods. “That’s a great idea! When’s your next day off?”

“Not for a while,” Dan says, looking down in disappointment. “With the Independence Day parade and Christmas coming up, there’s lots to do.”

Phil hums in response. “I’m sure we’ll be able to find a day,”

“I don’t know,” Dan mumbles, letting out a sigh. He looks over at Phil, unable to stop himself from smiling at the man beside him. “Should we head in? It’s getting a little chilly out here.”

“If you want. Do you think we could stop by the kitchen and grab something to eat?”

Dan huffs out a laugh. “You’re always hungry,”

“I’m a growing boy. I need to eat,” Phil argues playfully, before gently grabbing a hold of Dan’s arm and allowing Dan to lead the way back inside the castle. The two head to the kitchen, where they spot Fat Louie sitting at the counter.

“What the– Fat Louie! Get off the counter!” Dan shoos the cat away, shaking his head as he watches the cat scurry off. “I swear, that cat will be the death of me. Of course Louise just had to leave the little brat with me.”

“Well, she couldn’t exactly take him with her all the way back to England,” Phil chuckles.

“She could have if she took a private jet,” Dan mumbles.

“I thought I heard you two,”

Dan grins as soon as he hears the sound of his grandma’s voice.

“Hello, dear grandmother,” Dan says, bowing.

Clarise rolls her eyes, a habit she picked up from Dan. He’s still not entirely sure she’s aware she does it.

“Getting a late night snack, are we?” she asks.

Phil nods with a small grin. “I got peckish.”

“As always, dear,” she says, smiling. “Don’t stay up too late, Daniel,” she says. “You’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

And how could Dan forget? Bright and early, at 9 am, he has a meeting with the council. And then at 11 he has a meeting with the royal tailors to get measured for his ‘Christmas suit’. Dan’s not sure what that is but apparently it’s a tradition (even though Dan didn’t get one last year).

After lunch, he has another meeting to discuss the parade that’s in two weeks. Then he has to help make plans for Christmas, which the royal family always celebrates with its people. It’s only one week after the parade, so really, Dan’s all booked out tomorrow.

He knows from experience, and from his assistant’s frequent warnings, that he does not function well after a night of little sleep.

It’s a miracle Dan gets any sleep on nights before early meetings, especially when Phil’s around to distract him.

Dan wakes a half an hour early so he has time to get ready for the meeting, and make himself look presentable.

“Don’t cause any trouble,” Dan warns, giving Phil a goodbye kiss.

“Can’t make any promises,” Phil says, grinning at Dan.

Dan rolls his eyes at his boyfriend before walking out of his bedroom, but not before looking back at Phil one last time and desperately wishing he could stay in bed with him.

He spares a second to, instead, wish that Phil could come with him, but the council would never allow it. Phil’s not the king, he’s not even in line for the crown anymore.

Dan makes it to the conference room, surprisingly on time. “I’m here. No need to panic.”

“And on time? I’m shocked,” Charlotte speaks first.

“Ha ha. Very funny. I can be an adult… sometimes,”

“Sometimes is the key word there, Daniel,” Charlotte says.

“ _Dan_ ,” he corrects her as he takes a seat at the table. “So, what’s on the agenda for today?”

“We have a lot to go over, so make yourself comfortable,” Charlotte says, ignoring Dan’s correction.

No one ever listens to Dan’s correction.

Dan folds his hands on the table. “Before we start,” he says before Charlotte can begin reading the list. “When’s my next free day? Or free afternoon.”

“Oh,” she says, sounding surprised. Dan usually just lives day by day. He has advisors to keep track of dates for him, after all. “You’re busy all this week. You have the morning off on Tuesday. But if you want an afternoon or full day, you’re going to be looking at Friday.”

“Book a few hours for that afternoon.”

“What shall I mark it for?”

“I’m going to visit the orphanage in town.”

Dan’s head turns quickly as one of the councilmen grunts.

“Excuse me?” he asks, knowing the noise wasn’t just the man clearing his throat.

He looks startled at being addressed directly, which he really shouldn’t be, but he recovers quickly. He clears his throat, clearly trying to cover up his discontent. Dan lets it go.

“You want to visit the orphanage?” Charlotte questions, looking at Dan curiously.

“Yes,” he replies, crossing his arms against his chest. “Is there a problem with that?”

“Dan, you don’t need to be doing charity work,” Percy, the councilman who had grunted, tells him.

“‘Charity work’?” Dan repeats, instantly feeling offended by Percy’s assumption. “Why do you assume this is charity work? Can I not just be a nice guy who wants to visit the orphans?”

“Daniel, you are the king. You’re already busy enough, and have more important things to worry–”

“You’re saying parentless kids aren’t important?” Dan snaps angrily.

“Daniel, calm down. There’s no need to be getting upset,” Charlotte says calmly.

“No. I have every right to be upset. I’m the _king_ and it’s my duty to make sure that every person in Genovia is being taken care of, and that includes those poor parentless kids in the orphanage!” Dan shouts, glaring at Percy, before looking at Charlotte. “Charlotte, write down that I’m leaving for that afternoon to go to the orphanage with Phil to read to those kids.”

Charlotte stares at Dan for a moment, and she goes to write before Percy speaks up again, “Daniel, I really think you should think twice about this–”

“How selfish do you think I am?” Dan shouts, throwing his arms up and then standing from his seat.

“Daniel, what are you–” Charlotte begins, but Dan is already storming out of the conference room angrily. “Oh dear. Please excuse us for a moment–” She stands up and quickly follows Dan out of the conference room. “Daniel!” She runs up to him and grabs his arm.

“Don’t!” Dan shouts, turning to look at Charlotte. “I want him fired!”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit harsh? It’s his job to raise any concerns he has,” Charlotte says calmly.

“I don’t care. I don’t want people in my council who are only there to keep me popular. I will do what I think is right, no matter what they say.”

Charlotte nods slowly in understanding. “You say it’s your job as king to care for all Genovians, yes?”

Dan huffs. “Of course.”

“Then is it not your job to also care for your councilmen? If you fire him, he will never get another job. It will be on his record that he was fired by the king. The reason why won’t matter. If you fire him, he’s done as a working man. And what if he has family to care for? You have a duty to care for them too. And by firing him you could hurt them.”

Dan frowns but thinks through what she says. It makes logical sense. Those men are still Genovians and he still has a duty of care to them.

“He’s dismissed,” Dan says finally.

Charlotte looks surprised. “Daniel–”

“I don’t want him to be my councilman. But he is not fired, merely relieved. He will be able to have another job that way, won’t he?”

“Well, yes, but–”

“Then it’s settled. Percy is relieved of his duty to the king.”

“Alright, Daniel. If that’s what you want. I’ll give him the news,” Charlotte says.

“Thank you,” Dan replies quietly. He heads back into the room with Charlotte and stands back as Charlotte gives Percy the news that he’s been relieved.

Percy argues before Charlotte demands him to leave. He looks at Dan before leaving, “You are making a big mistake, my king,” he says, threatening, before storming out of the room.

Dan sighs sadly as he watches Percy leave, and then he looks over at the other men in the room. “I apologize about that, councilmen. Shall we continue?”

“Let’s,” Charlotte says. “I’ll write down that afternoon off for you,” she says.

“Thank you, Charlotte,” Dan says, taking his seat. “I have some other ideas for the kids, but I think maybe we should wait to discuss those and get our other plans out of the way first.”

“Wonderful. Before we continue, I must remind you that we need to find another councilman,” Charlotte says. “We should take care of that as soon as possible.”

Dan nods understandingly. “Of course. Compile me a list, please Charlotte? Then I will look over it as soon as I can,” he promises.

“Now, about the parade,” Charlotte continues. “It’s coming up soon, so we should plan for it.”

“Ah yes,” Dan nods, sitting up straight, opening his notebook to write down anything important. “The parade is coming up…”

~~~~

Dan’s sitting in the back of the limo, hand resting in Phil’s. They’re on the way to the orphanage so Dan can read to them. He’s already picked out a few books and they’re resting in his lap. They’re all children’s Christmas novels because he felt that was seasonally appropriate.

When they get there, there’s already press. Dan’s not entirely sure how, since nothing about this event had been publicised. It wasn’t for the media, it was just something Dan wanted to do for the kids and for himself.

The cameras go off as he steps out of the car. Phil climbs out after him. They hold each other’s hands – because their relationship became public not long after it started – and head into the orphanage. Dan’s security guards keep the press out.

“Hello everyone!” Dan says excitedly, his voice naturally going a higher pitch when talking to the children. It makes him sound more exciting and actually interesting.

“King Daniel!” a few of them shout, slightly out of sync as some of them realise after others.

“What a wonderful surprise!” Elizabeth, the matron of the orphanage, smiles as she walks up to Dan and greets him by shaking his hand. “King Daniel, it’s wonderful to see you.”

“You as well. I’m so sorry about the cameramen. I had no idea they would be here,” Dan says quickly, not wanting the orphanage to think Dan is doing this for publicity.

“That’s quite alright. I’m not surprised they’re here, but I know you wouldn’t have welcomed them,” she assures him, earning a sigh of relief from Daniel.

“Oh, and you know my boyfriend Phil–” Dan introduces, gesturing towards Phil, grinning.

“Yes, of course, it’s wonderful to meet you,” Elizabeth shakes hands with Phil as well.

“You as well,” Phil replies, nodding politely towards her.

“King Daniel! King Daniel! What are you doing here?” one of the children asks excitedly.

“Well,” Dan bends down so that he’s closer to the little girl’s height. “I thought that maybe I’d stop by and I could read to you. How does that sound?” He smiles.

The girl’s eyes widen and she claps her hands together excitedly. “Yay!” she cheers, running off back to her friend.

“What a wonderful idea,” Elizabeth says, clapping her hands together once as well.

“Okay everyone, settle down. We have a real treat today. King Daniel will be reading some stories to you!”

The kids cheer and slowly sort themselves into a seated group. Dan takes a seat in the chair at the front and Phil stands off at the back with the matron.

“I’ve brought three books today. Which should we read first?” Dan lists the options and the kids are overly excited to read ‘Elf’, which Dan finds funny because it’s old enough that it was a movie when he was in primary school. Apparently, the book’s new though, which Dan didn’t realise when he selected it at the bookstore.

Dan glances to the side, seeing all the press fighting to see in the one window from the street into this room. He resists the urge to roll his eyes, both because the press are there and because there are young, impressionable children in front of him.

When Dan opens the book, the kids all whisper ‘shh’ to each other until the only noise is them trying to be the last to quiet everyone.

Phil lets out a soft sigh as he watches Dan start reading to the children.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Elizabeth asks as she stands beside Phil, smiling at children. “I almost didn’t believe it when King Daniel, well, his assistant, called the orphanage earlier and told us that you were stopping by. Especially at such a short notice. But still, a wonderful surprise.”

“Yeah,” Phil replies without really paying attention to what she’s saying.

Elizabeth looks over at Phil. “Are you going to read to the kids today as well?”

“What?” Phil asks, blinking slightly as he looks over at her, before shaking his head in reply. “No. I’m not reading. Just Dan. This was all him.”

Elizabeth hums in reply, staring at Phil curiously for a second more before looking back towards the children.

Dan is a natural with the kids as he reads the first book to them. He keeps them entertained as he reads characters in different voices and interacts with the kids, making them giggle.

Once the book is finished, which only takes fifteen minutes because it’s a children’s book, Dan sets it on the ground next to him. He picks up the next book, ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas!’, one of Dan’s favourites.

The children all boo when the Grinch succeeds, which makes Dan smile, not because they’re unhappy but because the Grinch isn’t actually that bad, he’s just lonely and lashing out. As Dan expects, the kids are rooting for the Grinch by the end of the book.

It takes a little longer to get through because it’s a bit longer but after that, Dan’s picking up the third book, ‘The Polar Express’, and opening the cover. This book was Phil’s favourite as a kid so he’d insisted it make the short list of books for Dan to read.

Overall, the reading took just under an hour. Once he finishes, the kids clap.

Elizabeth tells them, “Thank King Daniel for reading to you.” They all do, somewhat in unison, making Dan smile. Kids never fail to put a smile on his face.

After they disperse to play with the admittedly limited toys the orphanage has, Dan goes to speak with Elizabeth. Phil has taken a seat by the window that looks out to the snow-filled backyard.

“I hope I did okay,” Dan says, looking around the room. He spots Jacob, the boy who was being harassed at the parade last year. He’s playing Barbie with the other girls, which makes Dan happy. The boy clearly feels comfortable and safe enough to do that now.

Elizabeth smiles. “You did wonderfully. Not even I can get the children to sit and listen as tentatively as that for more than a few minutes.”

Dan chuckles softly. “Thank you. I used to be terrible with kids, but I guess I’ve learned a little better since last year’s parade. My grandma’s also taught me a lot,” he says.

“I’m sure she’d be proud of the work you did today,” Elizabeth tries to assure him.

“Yeah. I sure hope so,” Dan says. He glances over at Phil before looking back towards Elizabeth. “How did Phil find it? Did he say anything?”

“He didn’t say much, if I’m being honest,” she admits.

Dan frowns slightly at that. “Really?” He asks. “He didn’t say… anything?”

“Well, I tried to make chit-chat with him. But, he didn’t seem very interested in anything I had to say,” she says. “A bit rude. I’m sorry. I’m sure you don’t want to hear that about a loved one.”

Dan quickly shakes his head. “No, it’s totally fine. Thank you for being honest with me. I’m sure he’s just running on little sleep. He gets a little cranky when he doesn’t get a good amount of it.” Dan chuckles. “So.” He clears his throat. “What is the orphanage planning to do for the kids on Christmas? Anything exciting?”

Elizabeth lights up as soon as Dan mentions Christmas. “We have quite a few ideas we were thinking of doing. Maybe you could give us your thoughts?”

Dan nods. “Of course.”

“On Christmas Eve, we plan to have a movie night with all the kids. You see, the older and younger kids often fight over the television we have. We thought, to avoid all that, we’d put on some Christmas movies that the older kids grew up with but that are still engaging for the younger ones.”

“That’s an excellent idea,” Dan says. “I honestly hadn’t thought of the children wanting to watch different things. Is that a problem often?”

“Oh no, not at all. At night it’s always a set movie that we plan ahead of time so there’s no arguing. But during the afternoon free time they can get a little hot headed at times.”

“How many older children do you have here? I’ve only ever seen the younger ones.”

Elizabeth smiles. “A lot of the kids get taken in by couples looking to start or expand their family. A lot of them aren’t here by the time they become teenagers. Currently, we have four over ten here, and seventeen younger kids.”

Dan nods. “So sad that they spend Christmas without a family.”

“It is,” Elizabeth agrees. “We do try our best to make it a warm and happy time of year but it’s difficult.”

“I can’t even imagine.” There’s a pause. “What other things do you have planned?”

“Well, our two cooks are planning a wonderful Christmas breakfast which we think the children will love. Most mornings they have cereal, which is fine, but I know they always love when they get something else.”

Dan hums, sparing another glance at Phil. He’s still staring blankly out the window. He’s not even smiling, and Phil loves the snow.

“We have some more books to read to the kids during lunch time. We’ve decided to have the older kids watch a more age-appropriate Christmas movie so they don’t get bored this year. They never enjoy reading time, funnily enough. We were thinking we could try ‘Four Christmases’. Every other year they’ve practically fallen asleep during reading time so hopefully this year will be better.”

Dan smiles softly as he listens to Elizabeth talk about the ideas they have for the kids, and then he quickly backtracks when he realizes that she didn’t mention anything about presents. “Wait, so… when do the kids open presents?”

“Well,” Elizabeth says, pausing to frown. “I hate to admit it, but we can’t afford to give presents to all of the kids. And, since most of our kids are quite young, they aren’t really up for sharing. So, we just opt to not get them any presents. We wish we could, since they don’t really have much, but there’s just simply no way to get a present for every child.”

Dan scoffs. “Well, that just won’t do!”

“King Daniel?” Elizabeth questions, tilting her head slightly.

“Don’t worry about the presents this year,” Dan begins.

“King Daniel, you don’t have to do that. I’m sure you already have enough on your plate,” Elizabeth tries to argue.

“Nonsense. As King, it’s my duty to take care of everyone, and that includes the kids here,” Dan says, feeling excited just thinking about what he could do for these kids. He’ll have to talk to Charlotte about it, and he can’t wait to talk to Phil about his ideas.

“King Daniel.”

Dan blinks a few times as he’s pulled out of his thoughts when he hears his name being called, and looks over to see Charlotte walking up to him. “Yes?”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but it’s getting late, and we still have a lot to do today,” Charlotte says. “Why don’t you say goodbye to the kids, grab Phil, and we’ll get going?”

“Ah, right,” Dan looks over at Elizabeth. “I’m sorry, but I must be leaving now.”

“That’s alright. I can only imagine how hectic your schedule is as the King of Genovia,” she says. “We appreciate you for stopping by. It has really made the kids’ day.”

Dan smiles. “I’m glad.” He heads over to Phil and taps him on the shoulder. “We’re going now,” he says lightly. Phil looks as if he’s in a daze and he shakes his head to clear it.

“Huh? What?”

Dan chuckles. “We’re leaving.”

“Oh, good.”

“Come say goodbye to King Daniel,” Elizabeth says then. All the children stop what they’re doing and say goodbye to Dan. Jacob gives him a hug. Many of the others do too, but Dan’s extra careful to hug Jacob tightly.

“Goodbye, everyone,” Dan says, waving as he heads for the door. Elizabeth opens it for them and the press is immediately in their faces. Dan’s body guards push them out of the way and lead Dan to the car waiting for them. Dan smiles at Elizabeth as he climbs in and she waves back.

“That went well,” Charlotte says after they’re all in the car and on their way back to the castle.

“It did,” Dan says excitedly. “The children were all so well behaved.”

“Because you were there,” Phil says suddenly. His tone doesn’t say he’s joking, which makes Dan frown.

“Everything okay?” he asks. Phil looks surprised but nods and then goes back to looking out the window at the snow that has only just started falling again.

Dan frowns as he stares at Phil, before looking back at Charlotte. “Charlotte, were you listening back there? I want to do something nice for the kids for Christmas,” he tells her.

“Of course Daniel,” Charlotte says, clearly not as excited as Dan is about the idea. “But perhaps we should save that for another day when you’re not as busy.”

“Fine, but don’t think I’m going to forget about this,” Dan warns, before leaning back and slouching against Phil slightly to make himself more comfortable. Phil’s sitting stiff, making Dan’s position significantly less comfortable.

They make a few stops in the kingdom before heading back to the castle. By the time they do get back, Dan is starting to get a little hungry as it’s around dinner time.

“Do you want to grab something to eat?” Dan asks Phil once they’re inside.

“Uhm,” Phil hesitates. “I’m not that hungry. You go get something and I’ll just meet you later?”

“I mean, okay? You’re not going to keep me company?” Dan pouts.

“Sorry, Dan. I’ve got something to do,” Phil tells him. He pecks Dan’s cheek quickly before turning and walking away without saying another word.

Dan stands there for a moment after Phil leaves, feeling dumbfounded. Phil has never rejected him like that before. He doesn’t understand why Phil is acting so strange all of a sudden, but he’s going to find out, that’s for sure.

Dan huffs with frustration, before taking off towards the kitchen to get himself something to eat. It’s been a long day already, and he knows that it’s going to be an even longer night if Phil keeps acting up the way he is.

After dinner, he makes his way back to his and Phil’s chambers. He crashes onto the couch rather inelegantly. Phil’s nowhere to be seen, which isn’t entirely unusual. But after the afternoon they had, Dan’s more than a little confused. He’s a little concerned too. He hopes everything is well.

He settles to watch some Christmas movies before heading to bed at an actually decent time. Usually it’s Phil who makes him stay up, insisting they can watch another movie. It’s also Phil who falls asleep ten minutes into the film every time, without fail.

Dan plugs his phone in and pulls the soft sheets back so he can climb in. He reads for a few minutes but finds himself tiring quickly. He’s turning off the lamps before Phil’s even back in their chambers.

He tosses and turns in the bed but can’t get to sleep. He wants to say it’s too early, but he knows that’s not true. The fact is, he’s gotten so used to going to sleep cuddled into Phil, that his body has decided he doesn’t deserve sleep unless he’s in that position. Which is incredibly inconvenient, considering Phil’s not there.

Like magic though, he appears.

“Sorry,” he says, pulling off his shirt to change into his pyjamas.

Dan doesn’t say anything as he’s half asleep. He just makes grabby hands at Phil like a baby, making him chuckle.

“Okay okay, I’m coming,” he says, climbing into bed next to Dan.

He falls asleep quickly after Phil’s by his side.

Dan thinks that, after that, things will get better, but they don’t necessarily.

Over the next few days, he still sees Phil, though his weird behaviour doesn’t get much better. Dan tries not to question it, thinking maybe Phil’s just got something going on that he doesn’t want to talk about yet. He even tries to ask his grandma about it, but she tells him he’s probably just imagining things. Dan knows he’s not, because even Elizabeth thought he was acting weird, and she doesn’t even know Phil all that well.

But Dan unfortunately doesn’t have too much time to dwell. He’s a king with a busy schedule.

After all, Dan must plan for the parade, which is coming up soon.

“We have much to do with the parade coming up,” Charlotte says as she and Dan walk into the kitchen for breakfast one morning.

“I’m aware,” Dan says. “It is a week before Christmas. I want the kids involved.”

“Daniel,” Charlotte warns. “We already have so much to worry about.”

“It’s not going to hurt to have the kids involved. They loved it when I included them last year, and I want them to feel happy and loved during the holiday season,” Dan says in a final tone.

Charlotte sighs, and Dan can tell she’s getting frustrated, but he doesn’t care. Dan wants to include the orphanage kids in the festivities as much as he can. It’s what they deserve after all.

“So, while planning… we’ll have to make sure that the kids are involved,” Dan says as he places himself at the kitchen counter. He glances over, spotting the newspaper beside him, and he notices Phil’s name in the headlines. “Hey, what’s this?” He reaches over to grab the newspaper.

“‘Philip Lester’s Royal Scandal’. What is this?” Dan asks after reading the paper’s headline.

“I believe that’s from a few days ago. I haven’t read it myself, I’m much too busy.”

“‘King Daniel attended Genovia Orphanage on Friday along with his boyfriend, Philip Lester. All seemed normal on this quiet day. However, sources report that Philip was acting very out of character. The royal has been seen interacting with children previously and yet on Friday, Philip did not say more than a hello.’ That’s a straight-up lie, he spoke to Elizabeth.”

Charlotte looks confused but nods her agreement.

“‘This out of character behaviour begs the question: is Philip keeping a secret? It is a well-known fact that King Daniel, who was crown prince at the time, and Philip met while the latter was attempting to steal King Daniel’s crown. Could the man be plotting against our beloved king once again? There is still much speculation as to why Philip was behaving so unusually but more news is expected to come over the next few days.’” Dan turns to Charlotte. “Where is today’s newspaper? I need to see if there’s any updates on this.”

She nods. “I’ll send for the most recent newspaper right now. While we wait, shall we continue discussing the parade?”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”

“First, we should come up with the theme,” Charlotte says, and Dan tries to pay attention to her, he really does. But, all he can think about is what’s going on with Phil. He knows he shouldn’t pay attention to those silly newspaper articles, but _what if_ they’re true?

Phil did try to steal the crown from him. Maybe his uncle has gotten into his head again. Phil has been actively avoiding his uncle ever since the two started dating each other, but Viscount always tries to weasel his way back into Phil’s life to control him.

“I think that we should– Daniel! Are you listening to me?” Charlotte asks.

Dan blinks a few times as he looks up at Charlotte. “What?”

Charlotte sighs as she stares at Dan. “Daniel, I need you to focus. We have a lot to do,”

Dan looks over when one of the castle workers walks up to him and hands him today’s newspaper. “Oh, thank you Sir,” he says as he takes the newspaper from him. He takes a deep breath before looking down and groaning when he sees the headline has gotten even worse.

‘Trouble In Parade For King Daniel’?

“This can’t be happening,” Dan mumbles. He places the newspaper on the counter and leans forward as he begins reading the rest of the article. “‘Following the days after King Daniel’s visit to Genovia Orphanage, King Daniel has not been seen with Philip Lester, his boyfriend.’” Dan huffs. “We’re not attached at the hip!” He lets out a sigh. “‘This leads us to believe that there is trouble in paradise for the couple. Lester’s odd behavior seems to be continuing, which also leads us to believe that he is keeping secrets. What these secrets are, we’ll have to find out.”

“Daniel?” Charlotte asks, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

Dan closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Charlotte, but you’re going to have to take care of the parade on your own. I have much bigger things to worry about.”

“The Independence Day Parade is surely more important than what the press is saying,” she argues back.

“It’s not _just_ what the press is saying. I noticed it too. Hell, I haven’t had a single meal with him since the morning of the reading. And we haven’t been on any of our nightly walks, which I know he adores just as much as I do.”

She nods. “I think I understand.”

“Well that’s good, because I don’t understand a thing.”

Charlotte laughs. “I’m sure all is well, Daniel. But I understand that you’re unable to focus right now. I will plan the parade and run any big decisions by you. Other than that, I can clear your schedule as much as possible?” she offers.

“That would be great, thanks,” he says. He slides off the barstool.

“I’ll be in my chambers if you need me.” He pauses. “I’ll take these,” he adds, scooping the newspapers into his arm.

“Do try not to have your eyes on those papers!” Charlotte shouts after Dan.

“Can’t make any promises!” Dan shouts as he runs off towards his chambers. He wishes that he could talk to his grandma right now, but he knows that she’s away from the castle, enjoying some time away, and he doesn’t want to bother her with his problems.

Dan flops onto the couch with a sigh, glancing down at the newspapers in his hands. He’s quiet for a moment, before he gasps, sitting up. He digs into his pocket and pulls out his phone.

If anyone will be able to help, it’s Louise.

“Dan, is everything okay?” Louise asks when she answers her phone.

“Lou, it’s an emergency!” Dan cries, throwing his arms up. “I’m sorry to bother you like this but I don’t have anyone else to talk to. Grandma is out right now. Something’s wrong with Phil and now all these headlines are popping up. I– I don’t know what to do!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down there. Take a deep breath,” Louise says calmly.

“I can’t!” Dan whines as he sinks down into the couch, curling up into himself. “Lou, something is seriously going on with Phil and he won’t talk to me. I’m freaking out.”

“Okay, okay. My best friend clearly needs me right now. I’ll be there as soon as I can,”

“R–Really?” Dan sniffs. “Are you sure? I don’t want to be a bother.”

“You could never bother me, Dan. You should know better than that. I’ll be there as soon as I can, promise. Until then, try not to do anything crazy,”

“Can’t make any promises,” Dan mumbles. “Bye Lou.” He hangs up the phone.

He realises seconds later that Louise has no way to get here without a flight. And he doesn’t want her spending her hard-earned money on a plane ticket to help him with his freak out. He messages her, saying he’ll arrange for his private jet to pick her up.

Louise replies saying she wouldn’t normally accept it – which Dan knows – but that she will because it sounds like Dan’s in a real emergency – which he is.

He calls in his maid and has her contact the pilots and anyone else needed for a short round trip to England. After she returns with news on a landing time, he messages Louise to tell her. It’ll take her an hour and a half to fly here, plus any security she has to go to.

Dan decides he needs more urgent support so takes his phone back out again to message Pj. He’ll only take thirty minutes to get here if he isn’t doing anything.

“What’s up?” Pj asks when he answers.

“Are you busy?” Dan asks immediately.

“Just fighting dragons in _Skyrim_ , so not really. Why?”

“I’m having a crisis.”

Pj laughs. “You sound pretty calm for having a crisis. What’s wrong?”

“Have you even _seen_ the newspapers, Pj? Or do you live under a rock?” Dan says, exasperated.

“Ah, I was wondering how long it’d be until you saw them,” he says. “Don’t worry about it.”

Dan gawks. “Pj! You’re my friend, you’re not allowed to say that when I’m freaking out!”

“Okay,” he says more seriously. “Do you need me to come over?”

“Please,” Dan requests quietly. His head’s swirling with all the news articles and he really needs a hug. Without his Grandma, and definitely without Phil, his only options are Pj and Louise.

Once he ends the phone call with Pj, Dan leans back against the couch and sighs, trying to calm himself down. He wishes he could call Phil or somehow summon him so that they could talk, but he has a feeling that Phil wouldn’t even answer his phone call, which upsets him greatly.

Dan is lucky to have friends like Louise and Pj who are willing to drop everything to come see him and help him work out his issues.

Dan reaches over and grabs the newspapers again. He frowns as he re-reads the headlines and the articles of the newspapers. It just doesn’t seem right to Dan. He knows it’s all gossip, but it’s come from out of nowhere. Surely Phil must have seen these by now. He reads newspapers daily. Of course, it would explain why he’s avoiding Dan.

Dan stands up and walks over to his desk, and opens up his laptop. He sits down as he waits for his laptop to load up. Once he pulls up google, he starts searching for every recent article that has to do with Phil, wanting to find more answers about Phil’s odd behavior.

However, it seems to be the same thing being talked about.

‘Is Philip Lester Keeping Secrets?’

‘Philip Lester Still After The Crown?’

‘Trouble In Paradise For The Royal Couple?’

“Fuck sake,” Dan groans, running a hand over his face.

But that doesn’t stop Dan from reading every single article about Phil. Charlotte is surely going to give him a lecture about this, but he doesn’t care. Because Phil is important to him, and he needs to know if he should be worried or not.

The newspapers don’t tell him much new. There’s bits and pieces, like Phil being seen in town with no guards or palace staff, but other than that there’s very little actual fact. The newspapers seem to be running on rumours at this point, which Dan figures is both a good and bad thing.

There’s photos which are all variants of each other. Phil’s in town, by the restaurant Phil had taken him to on their first official date as a couple. He’s walking beside someone and seems to be talking to them, but Dan can’t work out who it is by the back of their head.

Luckily, another news article provides a forward-facing image of the two. The other man is Chris. As in, the person Phil took to the garden party a year ago. Dan can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy, which he knows is ridiculous. Phil’s with him and Chris and Pj are still going strong. But his chest hurts when he sees how happy Phil seems in the photos. Dan hasn’t seen him smile like that in over four days. He hasn’t seen Phil frown either, though. Because he’s hardly seen Phil at all.

“What are you doing?” a voice suddenly says behind him. Dan spins to see Pj standing there, looking both happy to see Dan and a little nervous.

“Uh, nothing,” Dan says, smiling sheepishly.

“Come on,” he says, offering his hand to Dan and pulling him from the seat and over to the couch.

“Wow,” Dan chuckles as he sits down beside Pj. “You got here pretty fast.”

“I was in the neighbourhood,” Pj jokes, shrugging his shoulders. “What’s going on, Dan? What are you doing over there on that laptop of yours?” He glances back over at Dan’s laptop, seeing the articles and pictures Dan had pulled up on his laptop.

Dan fiddles with his fingers nervously, before letting out a sigh. “Phil’s been acting… weird, lately. It all started a couple of days ago when we visited the orphanage. He was being quiet, and Elizabeth, the matron, said he was acting kind of rude to her. Which is totally unlike Phil,”

“I can’t imagine Phil being rude to anyone,” Pj adds.

Dan nods. “Yeah, but then he just continued acting weird. He hasn’t really talked to me, and he’s been kind of avoiding me. All of these articles keep popping up in the newspaper. They think he’s trying to steal the crown from me again. I think Viscount has gotten into his head again, Peej,”

He frowns. “Dan, you can’t listen to those gossip articles. They’re just trying to stir drama,”

“But it all makes sense Pj,” Dan whines. “I can’t think of any other explanation for his behavior.”

“I mean, have you tried talking to him about it?” Pj asks calmly.

Dan scoffs. “No,” he replies. “Like I said, he’s been avoiding me ever since this whole thing started. I don’t know what to do. I thought maybe you and Louise could help me.”

“Louise? Is she here?” Pj asks curiously.

“Not yet, but she should be on her way,” Dan says.

“Wow. She’s coming all the way from London? She must be a true friend,” Pj chuckles.

“She is. Both of you are. I appreciate both you guys for helping me,” Dan sighs.

“Aw Dan,” Pj wraps his arms around Dan and pulls him into a comforting hug. “It’ll be okay. I’m sure we’ll figure out what’s going on. Maybe it’s just a big misunderstanding.”

Pj decides the best course of action is to distract Dan until Louise arrives. So the two of them play video games, a surefire way to get Dan thinking about other things is to challenge him to Mario Kart.

Pj wins, because even after all this time, he’s still better at video games than Dan.

“It’s not fair! You get to keep practising while I have to do fancy king duties!”

“Oh woe is you,” Pj laughs. “All your big and important meetings must be so dull.”

“They’re very boring!” he agrees. “Except when I fired someone,” he adds, thinking back on it and giggling. “Yeah, that was fun.”

Pj laughs. “What on Earth did the poor soul do to deserve being fired?”

“Was a general asshole and assumed I only care about my image?”

“Oh,” Pj says.

“Surprised you didn’t hear about it, what with how the press is.”

“I don’t want to hear that word!” Pj says.

“But–”

“Nope!” Pj interrupts, putting a finger to Dan’s lips. “I’m not having it.”

Dan rolls his eyes. “Ugh, fine. Another game?”

“You’re going to regret that,” Pj says, picking up the controller again.

~~~~

Dan and Pj entertain themselves with video games for a couple more hours before Dan starts complaining that he’s hungry. He and Pj make their way down to the kitchen.

“Dude, I forget how massive this place is. Chris would freak if he ever saw this place,” Pj says.

Dan freezes slightly when Pj brings up Chris, remembering the photos he saw earlier of Chris with Phil. But he decides that he’ll bring it up later. “Why can’t he?” Dan asks, turning to look at Pj. “You’re here all the time. You should bring him one day.”

“Really?” Pj asks, surprised. “You’d be okay with that? I don’t want anything to be awkward.”

“Nah, man. It would be fun. I like Chris,” Dan says as he walks into the kitchen. He heads over to the fridge and opens it, looking up and down for food suggestions.

Pj chuckles as he leans against the kitchen counter. “You and Chris would get along I think,”

“Well, I am a pretty likable guy,” Dan grins as he looks over at Pj.

Pj laughs. “Sure Dan! Whatever you say,”

“Excuse me,” Dan says, letting out a fake gasp. “I am extremely likable.”

“Surely we’re not talking about Dan Howell,”

Dan gasps as soon as he hears the familiar voice, and turns around to see Louise standing in the kitchen doorway. “Lou!” he squeals before running over and hugging her.

Louise laughs as she hugs Dan back. “What a warm welcome,”

Pj chuckles. “Wow. Even I didn’t get that kind of reaction when I showed up,”

“You jumpscared me!” Dan whines, folding his arms with a huff. Pj just shrugs before walking over to give Louise a hug.

“How are you?” he asks as he pulls away.

“Good. How are you?”

“That’s good, I’m pretty good. Dan, I heard, is less so.”

“Yes, I heard that too,” Louise says, turning to look at Dan. “Get your snack and then I want to hear all about it because I know nothing.”

“I told you a little bit,” Dan says absently as he goes to look in the fridge again. He ends up finding a whole batch of fresh eggnog, which he pulls out. “Want some?” he asks as he goes to get a glass for himself.

His two guests nod so he grabs another two glasses before pouring them all a drink.

“Can I heat mine up?” Pj asks, accepting the cup that Dan offers. Dan nods.

“Okay, so what’s up?” Louise asks after taking a sip of her drink.

“Everything,” Dan answers.

She rolls her eyes. “Helpful.”

“Lou, this is serious,” Dan groans, desperately wanting his friends to take the situation more seriously. The future of his relationship is on the line here, and he’s panicking.

“Okay Dan, I’m listening. Tell me what’s going on,” Louise says in a softer tone.

Dan lets out a breath. “I think Phil is trying to steal my crown,”

“Haven’t we already been here before?” Louise asks, glancing at Pj curiously, who nods.

“Yeah, but it’s happening again,” Dan argues, taking a drink from his eggnog, before sighing. “It all started a couple of days ago when we were visiting the orphanage. Phil was acting totally strange, and even the lady who runs the place said he was being rude. And, we all know Phil, he doesn’t have a harmful bone in his body.”

Pj glances over at Dan, looking slightly worried. “Yeah,”

Louise leans against the kitchen counter, seeming more interested in what’s going on now. “Yes, that is strange. Has anything else happened since then that would make you think he’s going to steal your crown?”

“Besides the fact that he’s been totally avoiding me since we were at the orphanage?” Dan scoffs. “You’ve seen all the headlines, right Pj? They seem so convinced that Phil is going to steal the crown, and it’s not like I can talk to Phil about it because he’s–” Dan groans, “he’s avoiding me!”

“Dan, calm down,” Pj says, setting his glass of eggnog down and hurrying over to Dan. “We’ll figure this out. I’m sure of it. There must be something going on.”

“Unlikely. I agree with Dan here. This is totally odd behavior for Phil,” Louise argues.

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Pj says, causing both Louise and Dan to look at him like he’s grown a second head. He’s quick to correct himself. “I mean, it is strange. But there could be a number of other reasons why he’s acting the way he is.”

Louise scoffs. “Yeah right. From the very start he was trying to steal Dan’s crown. For all we know, this last year’s all been part of the plan. You know, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”

“But Phil’s not like that,” Pj argues. “I’ve got to know him a lot since Clarisse and Joseph’s wedding. He never actually wanted the crown to begin with. It was all for his uncle. I know you didn’t get to know him all that well because you had to go back to England but I can’t genuinely believe he stuck around for a year just for the crown.”

“I get that but there are things you don’t know.”

“Like what?” Pj challenges.

“Like–” Louise starts before sighing. “Like things that you don’t and shouldn’t know. Just– Phil was a bad guy. It’s hard to believe he’s changed _oh so much_ like you say. Especially when you look at the newspapers.”

“As if you can trust the newspapers!”

Louise laughs harshly. “At this point I think they’re more trustworthy than Phil’s own mouth. Why don’t we just go ask him, hm? Oh right, he’s nowhere to be found because he’s ignoring Dan!”

“You’re seriously suggesting that we go and confront him?” Pj asks, raising his eyebrows.

“Well, what else are we supposed to do?” Dan counters, surprising Pj. “I can’t just sit around all day and wait. I’ve got a country to run, and this is the last thing I need right now.”

Pj huffs. “Dan, we don’t even know if anything is actually going on right now.”

“Exactly,” Louise argues. “Which is why we need the answers.”

Dan sighs and runs a hand through his hair, feeling even more stressed than he was before. It doesn’t help that his friends are on two different sides. “Guys, I just don’t know what to do.”

Louise frowns as she stares at Dan. “Well, we’re all clearly on different sides here,”

“Look, I’m not saying Phil’s completely innocent here,” Pj begins. “I just think we need to have more information rather than rumored headlines before we go marching up to Phil and start accusing him of something that might not even be true. For all we know, Phil could have something going on in his personal life and he just doesn’t wanna talk about yet.”

“I guess so,” Dan mumbles. “So, what do we do? Like I said, I have a country to run and I can’t just sit around and wait to know what’s going on with my boyfriend.”

“I say we wait it out a few more days,” Pj suggests, which makes Louise shake her head.

“I disagree. But, it’s not up to me. It’s totally up to Dan,” she says.

“Guys, you really aren’t helping me make a decision here.”

Louise pats his shoulder gently. “Sorry, Hun. But I just don’t agree with Pj. I really think talking to Phil is the best option. But again, it’s not my choice to make.”

Pj nods. “Yeah. We’ve made our opinions clear, but it’s ultimately up to you what you want to do.”

Dan nods and swallows the last of his eggnog. Setting the glass down, he sighs.

“I think I need to talk to Phil.” Pj looks surprised and Louise looks happy.

“You’re making the right choice,” Louise says quickly, taking their empty glasses and putting them in the sink. While she’s doing that, Pj speaks to Dan quietly.

“I really think you should reconsider. He’ll talk to you when he’s ready, okay?”

“But–”

“Dan, seriously,” Pj says, eyes glued to Dan’s. “He will talk to you when he’s ready. Don’t rush him.”

Dan stares at him for a few seconds before Louise interrupts them.

“Okay, let’s go find us a crown thief.”

“I’ve changed my mind,” Dan says, standing up anyway.

“What?” Louise asks before turning to Pj. “What did you say to him?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Dan answers, though the question wasn’t for him. “He’ll talk to me if he wants. I’ve got a country to run and I can’t spend my days waiting after him if he doesn’t want to talk.”

Pj looks worried but Dan ignores it. He’s listening to his advice, surely Pj should be happy. He doesn’t look like it, that’s for sure.

After talking with Pj and Louise, Dan tries his best to focus on the parade, helping Charlotte with plans and continuing his Christmas ideas for the kids. He hoped that Phil would be able to help him with these plans, but unfortunately, that was out of the question.

“I think we’re pretty much set, Daniel,” Charlotte says after they’ve gone over the parade plans one last time.

“Okay,” Dan nods, letting out a breath.

“Daniel, are you okay?” Charlotte asks, frowning.

“Uh,” Dan rubs his forehead. “I just… I have a lot on my mind right now.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asks, setting her notebook down on the table.

“No, it’s fine. Besides, I already tried to talk about it with Louise and Pj. That didn’t go very well.” He looks over at Charlotte and sees her staring at him with worry. “They had different opinions and we got nowhere.”

“Well, maybe you could use the opinion of someone who isn’t necessarily a friend?”

Dan fakes a hurt expression. “We’re not friends?”

Charlotte chuckles. “You know what I mean.”

Dan shakes his head. “No, I’m fine. But, thank you. I just want to focus on the parade.”

“Alright. Just a few more days. I’m sure it’ll be a wonderful event.”

“It always is,” Dan says proudly, before standing up. “I’m hungry. Want to get lunch with me?”

“I’d love to. Thank you, Daniel,” Charlotte replies as she grabs her notebook and stands.

Dan rolls his eyes. “How many times do I have to tell you to call me Dan?”

“You can tell me as many times as you’d like, but I’ll still call you Daniel,” Charlotte smirks.

“At least you don’t call me ‘king’ every time. I think I’d actually have to fire you,” he says, smiling so she knows he’s joking.

“Noted,” she says, laughing lightly.

~~~~

Dan boosts himself into the carriage and the little door is closed behind him. He’s only going to be on the carriage for a short while as he will be hopping out once they reach the orphanage, about a third the way through the parade path. He plans to walk the rest of the track with the children, having them all wear crowns and tiaras just like the previous year.

That was his main reason for requesting Clarisse and Joseph join him in the parade. His grandmother had wanted him to go alone for his first parade as king but Dan had insisted, both because he wanted them there and because the carriage would be empty for most of the parade otherwise.

“Ready?” he asks, looking at his grandmother and her husband.

“Yes,” Clarisse says, smiling.

Dan nods to the coachman and he clicks his tongue to get the horses moving.

The doors to the dressed-up barn open and the parade begins with music playing and Dan, Clarisse and Joseph waving at everyone.

Dan smiles as he looks around at the crowd, seeing some familiar faces amongst the people. Then, he spots the kids from the orphanage front and center up ahead.

“I’m proud of you Daniel,” Clarisse whispers to Dan.

Dan glances at his grandma. “Proud? What did I do?”

“You’ve done tremendous work with the orphanage. Those kids wouldn’t be having the Christmas they’re having without what you’re planning,” she tells him.

Dan shakes his head. “I’m just doing what any normal human being would do.”

“Give yourself some credit, Dan,” Joseph chimes in, giving him a reassuring smile.

Dan rolls his eyes softly, unable to help the smile on his face. “I just wish Phil was here right now.”

Clarisse gently places a hand on his shoulder. “I know, sweetheart. You’ll just have to be stuck with us for now.”

Dan chuckles. “Shut up. I could never be stuck with you.”

“Did you just tell me to shut up?” Clarisse asks.

Dan laughs. “Grandma, it’s an expression.” He looks back at the crowd and waves to them, making sure to give extra attention to the kids.

The carriage pulls to a stop right in front of them, as planned. The coachman opens the door for Dan and he climbs out. He makes his way over to the children and waves excitedly at them.

“Hello everyone!” Dan greets cheerfully before taking some of the tiaras and crowns from the salesman nearby and handing them out. Once every kid who wants one has one, they join the parade and the carriage starts moving again.

Dan walks behind it with the children, Elizabeth walking along too, holding two of the youngest kids’ hands.

They start reaching the end of the parade quickly, and Dan realises he’s yet to see any of his friends. He knows they’ll have come, he just hasn’t spotted them yet. As he rounds the last corner, though, he spots Pj’s curly mop of hair and sees Chris standing next to him. Louise is standing next to Chris and is smiling happily as the parade comes into view.

Dan glances to Pj’s right and does a double-take. That jet black hair is something he’s very familiar with.

He sees Clarisse subtly glance back at him which tells Dan that she’s clearly seen Phil too. Dan resists the urge to shrug in response and just smiles tightly back at her. She returns to waving not even a second later.

Dan doesn’t realise he’s staring until one of the children tugs on his arm.

“Yes?” Dan asks, leaning down slightly to hear the kid since it’s quite loud.

The kid smiles. “Have you met Milly?” she says, holding up her doll.

“No, I haven’t. It’s nice to meet you, Milly,” he says to the doll. The kid pulls the doll close to her ear.

“She says it’s nice to meet you too!” she says before falling back into the group.

Dan smiles at the girl’s antics and looks back at his friends in time to see Pj whispering to Phil. Phil nods and then retreats back into the crowd which makes Dan feel a little disappointed. Sure, he should be happy Phil showed up at all, at this point. But Phil leaving early hurts more than Dan thinks it would have had he never shown up to begin with.

He just turns back towards the path the parade travels on. It’s not much longer to go, which he’s grateful for because his feet are getting sore.

When Dan gets towards the end of the parade, he spots Phil at the end. He instantly stops dead in his tracks. He thought Phil had left the parade, but apparently he hadn’t.

But Dan takes a deep breath. He keeps walking and keeps smiling and keeps waving at the crowd. They’re who he’s here for so he tries his best to ignore Phil’s presence. 

When he gets closer to the end of the parade, Phil slowly starts walking towards him, surprising Dan.

“What are you–”

“Dan, just listen to me please.”

“I don’t think this is the right time to do this, Phil,” Dan hisses. “We’re in the middle of–”

“I know,” Phil says calmly. “I know, and you’re upset. I understand. But, please just listen to me? I can explain myself…”

“You could have explained yourself a week ago!” The parade pulls to a stop as people start to pay attention.

“I was scared,” Phil admits, taking a deep breath. “When those papers came out, I was scared.”

“So you _did_ see them,” Dan confirms, crossing his arms against his chest, aware everyone is watching them. But at the same time, he’s pretty sure everyone has seen the headlines about Phil.

“Obviously,” Phil says, earning an unamused look from Dan. “Sorry. Anyways, there’s a reason and that reason is because I’ve been planning something. Something important to me, and I was making myself anxious and scared, which explains why I was being so odd at the orphanage. Which, by the way, we’ll have to go back to so I can make it up to the kids for being so… _not_ me.”

“So you’re _not_ trying to steal my crown?” Dan asks, unable to get the thought out of his head.

“What?” Phil asks, blinking a few times. “Are you– why on Earth would I want to steal your crown? I thought we’ve already been over this? I thought we were past this?”

“You’ve read the newspapers. You know why I think that.”

Phil looks at him in silence before sighing. “No, I’m not trying to steal your crown. This is important, Dan. _Really_ important.”

“Then is in public with all of Genovia watching really where you want to discuss this?”

Phil smiles and nods. “There’s no better place,” he says.

Dan would be lying if he said he expected what came next. Dan couldn’t have expected it any less.

Phil grins and reaches into his back pocket, pulling out a small velvet box. He drops to one knee, and Dan has to take a step back to stop himself tripping over. His hands come up to cover his face before he pulls them away again so he can see Phil clearly – well, as clearly as possible for someone who’s very quickly becoming teary-eyed.

“Daniel,” Phil starts, making Dan close his eyes in happiness. This is actually happening. “You are the most amazing person I’ve ever met. I remember meeting you for the first time on your birthday and we had so much fun. And then, well, then you learnt who I was. Or, well, who my uncle wanted me to be. I knew I cared about you from the very beginning. It’s hard to ignore the tightness of my chest when I’m looking at you.”

Dan chokes on a laugh and Phil smiles even harder, somehow.

“I’m so lucky to have you, Dan. You have no idea how special you make me feel. And I hope I make you feel even a tenth of what I feel, because in that case your heart must be full to the brim. This past year has been the best of my life not only because I have been free of my uncle, but because I’ve been with you. Everyday is a new adventure and I’m never bored. I like going to sleep at night, because I get to dream of you. But I love waking up in the morning even more because I get to be with you and know that every single second of it is real.”

Phil’s speech is interrupted by Pj wolf-whistling in the background. Phil looks at him with a playful glare and Pj gives him a thumbs up, making Phil laugh.

“Anyway, I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m in love with you. I have been for a long time now. And I want to love you for the rest of my life. And I hope you do too, because if not this is about to get very awkward.” Phil laughs, and then almost falls over, making him laugh harder.

After Phil steadies himself on the ground, he wipes his hand and opens the box to reveal a white gold ring. It’s simple with a swirl design, but it’s the most beautiful thing Dan’s seen, second only to Phil himself.

“Daniel James Howell Ronaldi,” Phil says, before pausing. “King of Genovia,” he adds, snickering. Dan resists the urge to push him. “Will you marry me?”

Dan hiccups and wipes away his tears. He nods and pulls Phil to stand up.

“I think you’re meant to say it,” Phil says quietly. Dan can only just hear him over the crowd cheering.

“Yes, Philip Michael Lester, I will marry you.”

Dan pulls Phil in for a kiss. Cameras flash and people cheer. He can hear Pj whistling above all the noise and he almost has to break away to laugh.

“Christmas?” Dan says against Phil’s lips.

“What?” Phil asks, pecking Dan’s lips again.

“Let’s get married on Christmas. Next year.”

Phil smiles. “That sounds perfect.”

Dan’s happy and from the sounds of it, Genovia’s happy. And he can tell Phil’s happy, because Dan’s always able to read Phil, not that it requires much skill when he’s grinning so wide he looks like a madman.

Dan laughs and Phil leans in to kiss him.

Lips touch lips again, and it’s as perfect as it always is.


End file.
